Van Zant

Biography

Originally formed in the late 90s as a one-off collaboration between brothers and southern rock legends Johnny Van Zant (27 February 1959, Jacksonville, Florida, USA; vocals) and Donnie Van Zant (b. 11 June 1952, Jackonsville, Florida, USA; vocals), the critical and commercial reaction to Van Zants debut album Brother To Brother enabled this side-project to continue into the new millennium as a fully-fledged concern. Johnny had already experienced various degrees of fame during the 80s as vocalist with his own Johnny Van Zant Band and then the re-formed Lynyrd Skynyrd. The latter, one of southern rocks most venerated acts, had originally been led by his late brother Ronnie Van Zant. Donnie, meanwhile, remained a member of the long-serving 38 Special, who reached their commercial peak in the late 80s with the US Top 10 ballad Second Chance.